The Ducks had the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season, and the second-best mark overall in the NHL. They had the league’s second-leading goal-scorer and the player with the second-most points. They also had team records for victories and points.

What they didn’t have was a clear-cut No. 1 goaltender going into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau would only say “one of the three” would be the starter for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars tonight at the Honda Center.

The smart money was on Frederik Andersen, a 24-year-old Danish rookie, getting the nod over John Gibson, a 20-year-old rookie with all of three games of NHL experience, and Jonas Hiller, a veteran whose struggles down the stretch created a sense of uncertainty in goal.

It’s an unusual spot for a team with Stanley Cup championship aspirations, but the Ducks shrugged off their predicament after Tuesday’s practice at the Honda Center. They expressed confidence in each of their goalies, but especially in Andersen, 20-5-0 during the regular season.

“He’s showed us a lot,” veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin said. “Everybody has played relaxed with him in net. He has a big presence in net. He’s a big guy. He plays the puck really well and he’s played solidly all year.”

Andersen has been calm, cool and collected in all manner of situations, which also has made an impression on his teammates. Gibson also appeared unflappable in relief of Andersen, who sat out two games last week after suffering from lingering headaches when he was struck in the mask.

Gibson recorded a shutout in his NHL debut April 7 against the Vancouver Canucks and then was in net when the Ducks defeated the San Jose Sharks and clinched their second consecutive Pacific Division title two nights later. He also beat the Colorado Avalanche in the regular-season finale Sunday.

“It speaks to the type of players they are,” defenseman Cam Fowler said of the Ducks’ rookies. “They’re gifted young players. You wouldn’t know it by looking at them that they were doing it for the first time. You think they’d been doing this for 10 or 15 years.”

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Hiller could serve as Andersen’s backup to start the playoffs and Gibson could return to the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk, Va., but no matter who starts in Game 1, he’s going to have to be sharp in goal against the smooth-skating Stars.

“Hopefully, one goes in and stops the puck,” Boudreau said.

Although the top-seeded Ducks are a decided favorite against the wild-card Stars, there are reasons for concern defensively. Dallas forwards Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn present challenges that will test the Ducks’ defensive crops and their goalies, but also their forwards.